Sea and Space
by Green Raven Katt
Summary: How a waking non-sequitur can turn into a rather intimate moment between the captain of the Enterprise and his second-in-command.


Captain James T. Kirk woke up one morning the way he always did. Groggy, without a shirt on, and with a familiar weight on his chest. Only this time it had shorter hair than usual. As he became aware of his surroundings he noticed that his lieutenant commander and long-time (boy)friend was still asleep, curled up next to him like a big teddy bear. Jim smiled. It was an unusual sight, to say the least, to see the Vulcan acting so vulnerable. And no matter how much his professional mind pestered him otherwise, Jim could only think of the word _cute_ to describe the situation.

Eventually he decided it was time to get up. After all, he had a ship to command. And Spock would probably say it was 'illogical' to sleep in this late. He gently shook the Vulcan's shoulder. "Spock," he whispered. No response. He tried again. "Spock, wake up."

The Vulcan's head shot up immediately. "The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake," he said aloud, still half-asleep.

Jim had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. However, it didn't help much, and he ended up grinning ear-to-ear.

Spock soon collected his thoughts and became aware of the human lying underneath him with a smile that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame. "Good morning, Captain," he said in his usual emotionless, unwavering voice. "What is so funny?"

"I'm just happy to have you here, Mister Spock," Jim said, his voice cracking.

Spock stared for a moment before getting out of the bed the two were sharing. "Once again I thank you, Captain, for letting me borrow your quarters," he said, finding his clothes neatly folded on a nearby chair. "I have no way of knowing when my heater is going to be fixed, and if it hadn't been for you, I probably would have frozen to death."

"Anything for a friend," Jim said almost cockily, getting up and walking toward the wardrobe.

After a few minutes of silently changing clothes, Jim broke it by saying, "Hey, maybe later we could get together and watch The Little Mermaid. What do you think of that, Spock?"

"Most illogical, Captain," Spock said.

"Of course," Jim muttered, adjusting his shirt.

"However," Spock continued, "I find it a very fascinating story. The girl, in this case, the mermaid, Ariel, falls in love with the human prince, Eric. And although they differ in species, they find that true love can conquer all obstacles, even those with which we are born."

Jim stared at his friend's back. "Spock," he said, "I had no idea you were such a romantic."

"With all due respect I choose to ignore that comment."

Sighing, Jim rolled his eyes and proceeded to pull on his boots.

"The film was, of course, derived from the original Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. I hear it ends on a much sadder note, with the prince marrying another woman and the mermaid's body becoming foam on the sea." If Jim hadn't known better, he would've thought Spock sounded a bit sad when he said this.

"In some versions," Jim said, "The mermaid's spirit lives on and becomes a daughter of the air. Kinda makes me have hope for the future." He sighed and continued. "I still like the movie better, though."

"Why do you say that, Captain?" Spock asked, now fully dressed and standing in the doorway.

Jim smiled, almost sadly. "I just prefer when stories have a happy ending."

Spock half-smiled back. "I quite like that story," he said, turning to leave, "Even though it's illogical."

"What makes it illogical?" Jim asked, following the half-Vulcan.

"It couldn't possibly happen in real life," Spock explained. "Eric is a human, and Ariel is a mermaid. Even if they were to ever meet, their biological differences would have intervened."

"Ariel may be a mermaid," Jim protested, "But she's also partially human. If they really love eachother, I'm sure they could work something out."

Spock suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking the captain right in the eyes. "Do you really think so, Captain?" he said.

"Just try and convince me otherwise," Jim said, smiling. "Especially if she had the compassionate heart that I believe all creatures possess," he continued, not quite sure if he was talking about the fairy tale anymore.

Spock seemed to consider this for a moment. "Your perspective on romance," he said, "Fascinates me to no end."

Jim suddenly remembered something. "You don't remember what you said back there, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Spock asked, confused.

"Earlier, when I woke you up," Jim explained. "You said something while you were still half-asleep."

"That is highly illogical," Spock said. "Vulcans do not talk in their sleep."

Jim gave him a stone-cold look. "Spock, you're only a half-Vulcan. Remember that, now."

"Alright," Spock said. "If you're so convinced I said something, then why don't you tell me what I said?"

Jim grinned again, unable to hold back laughter. "Nevermind," he choked out, continuing along the corridor.

Spock followed. "Captain, tell me what it was."

Jim gave up. He broke down laughing, still moving down to corridor to the bridge. Passing ensign officers had to stop what they were doing when they heard him, wondering what was so funny.

"Jim," Spock called after him, starting to lose his cool just a little bit. "This is highly illogical behavior!"

After that, Jim didn't plan on getting Spock's heater fixed for a long time.


End file.
